


Cocoon Academy: Shadows of the Past

by Silver_Siren



Series: Cocoon Academy [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy XIII Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe- X-Men-Esque, And livia come on fandom, Everyone's favorite characters and many more getting into more shenanigans, F/M, God things are gonna get weird when Garlond comes around..., Why does Nael not get more love, Yet again another rp thread turned to fic, same for Fordola
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-05 03:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11569194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_Siren/pseuds/Silver_Siren
Summary: The Ragnarok crisis was having more repercussions than initially imagined. The amount of metahumans was increasing exponentially, and both Dysley and Cid were becoming more active than ever, trying to recruit these gifted people to their side. And that was only the beginning.Monsters returned, threatening all other living beings. Some people were quick to blame the metahumans for the disaster, thus increasing the threat to their existence. And then, a rogue Legion of the Garlean Empire, a superpower that has been around since anyone can remember, has now made itself known, determined to destroy all metahumans and find their Legatus…





	1. Aftermath

Dean Raines was sifting through more paperwork and death threats. Security had tightened to protect the young children whom Cid had come to treat like family when they were at home, and he knew now he couldn’t send out his students to do good with their real names. Thus, he began creating aliases and costumes. 

Amethyst accepted the title of Crystal Knight. Lightning took on the name Crystal Valkyrie. Fang took on the name of Lady Highwind. Vanille accepted the name of Terra. At his son’s insistence, Sazh took the name of Human Torch. And on and on it went. 

Raines ran his hands through his hair. He had many students, but thankfully, only so many of them wanted to try out for being a superhero. As the Dean, however, he now had to deal with political figures who would come to him for varying reasons. He insisted on maintaining Cocoon Academy as an independent government, despite all of the offers made to him. He knew that staying neutral was the best path.

Which is why, when a very imposing man, clad in elaborate black armor, walked in, he expected it to be another attempt by the Garlean Empire to convince them to join. He looked up, taking in a deep breath and preparing to politely tell this man to fuck off. 

“Greetings, Dean Raines. My name is Regula van Hydrus. I can see you are under a lot of stress. You are expecting me to give you another sales pitch for why you should join the Garlean Empire, but in truth, that is not why I’ve come today.”

Raines raised an eyebrow.

“Then what has Emperor Varis sent you here for? The man is known for his pride-he’s not keen on asking others for help.”

Regula let out an exasperated sigh.

“…The number of metahumans has increased in the Empire. We are not used to this whatsoever, and His Radiance may have a righteous sense of pride, but he also knows when he is truly out of his depth. Thus, he has charged my Legion, the VIth, as well as van Baelsar’s legion, the XIVth and his own son’s Legion, the XIth, with finding and taking in metahumans within our land. He wishes to entrust them to you, as he knows your opponent, Primarch Dysley, would use them to attack the Empire.”

Raines leaned back in his chair.

“This is a surprising request, but one I will not refuse. If the situation in your lands has gotten to the point that Emperor Varis is asking  _ three separate Legions  _ to handle it  _ and  _ asking for outside help, it must truly be a desperate situation. Also, what of the nations that form the Eorzean Alliance? If their leaders come to me and ask me for help, you know I will not refuse them.” Raines said.

“We may not have the best relationship with the Eorzean Alliance, but following the Chaos Energy Crisis, a treaty was signed. We cannot speak for the beast tribes… which is also what forces us to ask you for help. The majority of the beast tribes, now that the capacity has returned, have resumed attempts at summoning their eikons. The Warriors of Light, champions of Eorzea, are struggling to deal with it.” Regula answered.

“Hmmm… I know very little of these eikons you speak of, but I do know of their ability to make slaves out of others, with only two known methods of resisting-to be claimed by another eikon, or have that special gift bestowed upon the famed Warriors of Light.” 

“Precisely. Rumors have surged of the rogue Legion returning, desperate to find their old leader, as well… and I needn’t tell you what that means for your kind. His Radiance has given you permission to take Darnus into your care, should you find her.”

Raines tensed. The VIIth Legion, a radical Legion whose leader despised metahumans, blaming them for allowing eikons to exist, and the ones behind the Purge after it became nigh-impossible to summon any new eikons… and then, the true madness of their Legatus was revealed, and the bitter irony of her existence… though she was  _ supposedly  _ killed by the Warriors of Light of old. A body was never recovered, and it was possible that she lived, but if she did, her mind would likely be so broken that she would be reduced to an instinctive creature that would take a lot time to heal.

“Thank you for the warning, van Hydrus, and we will await metahumans from the Empire.” He said.

“It is only fair, since there is no telling the volume of metahumans at this point. We are only capable of locating them after they’ve obtained their powers, and I need not tell you that some of our men are aging…” Regula admitted.

“You can leave the matter of metahumans to us. It’s what I founded this Academy in the first place.”

“I will inform His Radiance of this. Have a good day, Dean Raines.”

“You as well, van Hydrus.”

With that, Regula left, and Raines leaned back further.

“Poor, poor Eula… I must tell my staff to help me choose a team to attempt to locate her.” 


	2. All Hallows' Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack and company are enjoying their break at a local bar during All Hallows' Eve. The bar is run by an old man who loves to spin tales, and tonight is no exception. He tells our young heroes a tale of a near-apocalypse, heralded by an insane woman, and of the legendary Warriors of Light who supposedly killed her and saved the world... but no body was ever found...

Serah was enjoying her break with her family and friends at a nearby tavern (this time, wisely making sure Celestia didn’t drink herself stupid). It was a rare treat, and the old bartender had tales to tell. They were mostly unrealistic, but fun to listen to. It was All Hallows’ Eve, after all.

“Now, this one is another goodie.” The old man began.

“It was just a little while ago… the radical Legion of the Garlean Empire that hated those special kids was so desperate, they started to call down an ol’ satellite the ancients had put up. It was so close to hittin’ the Earth when suddenly, a massive dragon appeared and started burnin’ ev’rythin’ to the ground! The Warriors of Light, good people that they were, managed ta destroy the monster, but it still left a mark-on that batshit insane woman who had more problems than Carters has pills! They say she was dead, but no body was ever found… who’s to say she isn’t here among us, reduced to a feral beast, ready to EAT YOU!” He said, making mostly everyone laugh, but succeeding in startling Serah, Hope, Vanille, and confusing Celestia. Fang redirected the goddess to her margarita (she’d found she much preferred mixed drinks or wine than the hard stuff Amethyst and Fang loved), and she moved on.

Zack chuckled at the bartender’s tale. He knew it was most probably not true and yet, every story told has some element of truth behind it. Zack picked up his drink and sipped some of it. Zack did drink the heavy stuff from time to time, but at the moment his drink of choice was a beer.

“Hey Snow… Do you believe the bartender’s tale?” Zack whispered to the male sitting next to him.

“I’d like to, but it’s so out there that it makes it hard to believe it’s true at all.” Snow replied, then shot back some vodka. Celestia chuckled. Humans still loved to spin tales; that hadn’t changed a bit. She watched in delight as her newfound friends drank their hearts out (how was Amethyst not losing herself at this point, Celestia didn’t understand-mayhaps it was that thing called ‘tolerance’?), laughed, and made merry. Fang smiled and looked towards the old man.

“Aye, ‘nother round, and why don’t ya tell us where this weird lady is supposed ya live while you’re at it?” She asked. The bartender was only happily to oblige, and he brought out more drinks.

“Not too far from here, there is a dense, thick forest, and in that forest, there are old caves. They say if you get too close, you’ll hear an angry growl, and then, if you don’t run… she’ll pounce on you and bite your head clean off!”He said. Serah jumped into Snow’s arms and curled up, much to Lightning’s annoyance. Fang leaned back and thought.

“Runnin’ through the woods is somethin’ I used ta do all the time when I was a lil’ kid…”

She smirked.

“…Whaddya’all say we go on an adventure? See if this dragon lady actually exists?” 

“I’m down. I want to see if this story has any truth behind it,” 

Zack said after he polished off his drink. “Anyone else down?” Snow looked down at Serah and then looked up. 

“I’m going too. You gonna come too Serah?” Snow wanted to see if this thing actually existed 

Serah shook her head, but just as she was about to make an excuse…

“I wish to go on this adventure! It sounds most delightful!” 

Serah hung her head. Of  _ course _ Celestia would want to go. 

“A-Alright… I guess I’ll go too…” Serah stammered. Amethyst laughed in delight.

“Relax, Serah! You’ve got your hero there to protect ya, right?” She teased, which was also a way of saying she was going.

“Well, I think that settles that! Anyone else have any objections?” Fang asked.

“Evidently, no. Now, let’s go and get this over with.” Lightning droned.

“Awww, lighten up, Sunshine!” Fang teased, punching Lightning in the arm playfully. The group set out together after that.


	3. Fragmented Mind (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack and company, inspired by the bartender's tale, set out to see if it's true. What they find makes things more complicated, and when Zack enters the strange woman's mind, what he finds is disturbing and depressing to say the least...

“Amy, ya spot anythin’ from where you are?” Fang yelled.

“Yeah, over that way! I hear something weird in there!” 

Amethyst and the group headed on down, in towards a cave. As they walked further in, relying on Hope for some light, the faint growling sound got louder. Serah clung tighter to Snow, and everyone was now tense. Then, suddenly…

“AAHHH!!” 

“Serah!” 

Serah shrieked as a clawed hand slashed her across her leg, knocking her to the ground. Everyone turned to see a woman who had odd, leathery skin that was purplish-blackish, large draconic wings, a tail, and claws, as well as long, silvery hair and a strange silver pearl-like birthmark square in the center of her forehead. She was clearly beyond  _ furious _ , and was tensed and ready for battle.

When Snow looked at the woman, his hand balled into a fist. 

“How dare you hurt our friend! She didn’t do anything to you!” 

Snow’s only answer was a feral growl as the woman reared up and flared her wings, baring her fangs. Zack had his hand ready to grab his sword, just in case they had to fight. They had no idea what was going to happen. Serah looked underneath the angry woman, and her face became one of shock.

“Guys, she’s not just angry, she’s nesting! She has eggs, and she thinks we’re trying to hurt them!” She called out.  Zack put his hand down and calmly tried to reason with her. 

“We’re not here to hurt your eggs. We only came out here to see if a rumor was true. We promise we won’t hurt them.” 

Zack just hoped they wouldn’t have to resort to violence. The angry nesting mother continued to stand over her eggs, wings flared and tail swishing angrily. She snarled and continued to bare her fangs. Serah thought for a moment.

“Um guys… maybe she’s not listening because there’s too many of us? Why don’t we leave it to Zack, since he can link with her and figure out what’s going on?” Serah proposed.

“Seems like our only option.” Snow said it loud while looking to Zack. “You can handle this, right?”

“Yeah. Leave it to me.” Zack closed his eyes and attempted to form a link with her as the others were quick to leave the area. Quickly he did and was brought into her mind. 

“We are not here to hurt your eggs. This all just a huge misunderstanding. Will you listen to me?” He called out… but soon, a hellish nightmare appeared before him. 

Bizarre backgrounds, black nights with blood-red moons. Angry roars and screams of agony filled the air, and at the center of it all was a strange woman, with silver hair, a strange white pearl in the center of her forehead, and despair-ridden steel blue eyes, bound by purplish-blackish chains that seemed to almost feed into her body.

“No… He can’t be gone! I won’t let him be!” A small, child-like voice cried.

“Duty holds precedence over all else. The land of Eorzea must be conquered.” An older, male voice insisted. 

“It’s their fault… the damned metahumans… they killed him…” An adult female voice hissed.

“My chosen, ye who sought the power to end it all… I grant thee my strength… but thou art mine for all ETERNITY!” A powerful, booming male voice roared, causing the bound woman to cry out in pain and arch her back. She then noticed Zack, and looked lifelessly at him.

“…Who are you? How… are you here? Why are you here? What… What do you want with a…” She sighed.

“What do you want with a perfect hypocrite like me?”

“My name is Zack. I’m here due to my ability to link with people and see into their memories. I’m here to convince you that we aren’t here to hurt you or your eggs. But… What do you mean, ‘hypocrite’?”

The woman looked at Zack, closed her eyes, let her head roll back, and laughed.

“Oh, how the fates are  _ generous  _ with their cruelties… and how ironic this is.” She mused, letting her eyes open.

“Has it really been that long? That none remember me? …Ah, you’re young. I assume you only awakened recently, so you don’t know about the infamous VIIth Legion of the Garlean Empire…. also known as  _ my  _ Legion.” She told him darkly.

“I despised your kind… I blamed them for all of my problems… I still do not like them, but what can I do? As you can probably imagine, I am not in control of my own body anymore. Chains of darkness bind me, and the screams of all of my fragments of self are damning… I can’t move…” 

She then chuckled again.

“However… you…  _ you… you  _ can. Perhaps… Perhaps you can regather the fragments of my existence… and then, shatter these chains. My mind is a vast labyrinth… do you feel like you can traverse it and recover my other three fragments?”


	4. Chapter 4: Fragmented Mind (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack has made his way into the mind of the mystery woman, and she has sent him on a quest to recover the fragments of her shattered mind. He traverses the labyrinth, and encounters Eula the Wrathful, one of the four fragments vying for control. Eula the Wrathful represents her hatred of metahumans, and as such, Zack's first encounter inevitably results in a fight...

“I think I could, but if I do, would that keep you from attacking my friends in the time it takes for me to find these fragments? And if I do, would you mind telling us about the group you speak of?” Zack asked. He needed to know if she could trust this woman before he agreed to collect the fragments.

She looked at Zack.

“I cannot promise anything regarding the body, as I am not in command of it. The most powerful fragment of my being, Nael deus Darnus, is the one who commands it. That… that unholy  _ monster  _ was born when the eikon Bahamut ripped my mind apart and forced His unfathomable power into my body… she is a powerful, zealous puppet of the damned thing. If it is to return to me… You will have to overcome someone empowered by a false god.” She sighed.

“I might as well tell you of the other fragments as well. There is Nael van Darnus, the duty-bound side of me that was obsessed with my role as a military commander, as well as keeping my brother alive… even though he was gone. That side of me has a sense of honor and grace… ‘Tis possible you’ll be able to convince it to return to me with almost no effort at all. I cannot say the same for the other two…”

Another tired sigh.

“I call the vengeful one Eula the Wrathful. It is the version of me that is my hatred of your kind made manifest. I blamed you and your fellow metahumans for the death of my brother, and my hatred became my fuel. It drove me and drove me, until I was beyond recognition, and deep in madness. She will not even speak with you, in all likeliness… She will want naught more than to murder you in the most brutal way possible, and she has the means to do it.”

Then, a single tear trailed down her face.

“The last one… she will stand out the most of all. She cannot fight, she cannot do anything. She is Eula the Blue. She is all of my sorrow and despair incarnate. She is the frail child I once was… so emotionally dependent on my older brother… unable to let him go still… You… You won’t need to fight her. You’ll just have to carry her and hold her. She is… She is but a child, after all.”

She then looked to Zack.

“Am I in any position to refuse? Even though you will not like what you hear? All you need to know for now is that the Legion itself is your enemy… but if you can restore me, then I will have no reason to despise your kind any longer. If you do me this favor, then I will not leave the debt unpaid. If there is one thing that is true about me… It is that. Now, go, before the deus Fragment uses my body to murder yours!” She insisted.  


Zack nodded, and with that he went into the labyrinth that is her mind. He knew this was risky-going on without linking with the others, but he couldn’t get a link out to the others. He kept on trying. He has to make sure his body wasn’t harmed while he was in here. He didn’t know which fragment he would find first. He just kept walking until he found one. As he walked off, the woman sighed.

“Good luck to you, my naive little friend…” She muttered. 

As Zack walked through the labyrinth, the nightmarish scenery continued. Angry shrill cries and hideous, deformed abominations, symbolic of the despair in the mind of the woman, came after him left and right. But then, suddenly, a low, angry growl…

“A filthy rat dares to enter my mind?!” A feminine voice demanded, before an armor-clad woman, with white, long hair, steel-blue eyes, and a strange pearl-like shape in the center of her forehead leapt down, lance already bared at Zack.

“I shall wipe your wretched, filthy existence from this realm once and for all, for I am Eula the Wrathful! NOW DIE!” She vowed, before charging forth at Zack. 

Zack barely had time to doge that attack. He quickly got out his sword and looked over to the fragment that had found him. Of course it had to be the one that wants to kill him. He knew reasoning with it wouldn’t work. “Just gonna have to fight…” With that Zack went in for an attack.

* * *

 

Meanwhile Snow and the others were still standing by the dragon like creature. “Uh, is it me or is she getting angrier? What’s taking Zack so long?”

Serah swallowed. 

“I just have a bad feeling about this…”

“You should. You’re dealing with a mentally-unstable woman here…”

Vice-Dean Rydgea had arrived, and he facepalmed.

“…And of course, Mr. Fair went into her mind without any hesitation… It can’t be helped. Moving them is too dangerous. We’re going to have to keep an eye out for them until Mr. Fair can return to us, with Miss Darnus in tow.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in the labyrinth, Eula the Wrathful was bearing down on him with her spear, before bringing in her hand close, ready to shoot a fireball right through his chest. Zack was having a hard time landing a hit on her. But he needed to do this. This was the only way he’d be able to have her come to her senses. When he saw the fireball, he immediately jumped out of the way. But held his sword up in defense just in case. He still kept trying to link with one of his friends. _C'mon… Give me anyone…_


	5. Chapter 5: Fragmented Mind (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack's fight against Eula the Wrathful continues, though the tides soon turn when he finally manages to pull Lightning into the labyrinth. After the battle, the duo return Eula the Wrathful to the mysterious woman, which results in one of the chains binding her shattering. She insists they resume their quest, and they head off to find the next fragment...

Eula the Wrathful laughed maniacally as she beat down on her opponent, until a sudden powerkick to her face sent her flying off, and then… Lightning landed in front of Zack.

“You better not have been looking up my skirt just then. Vice-Dean Rydgea arrived, but you were in trouble, so I accepted your link and jumped in. He’s no doubt gonna have a lot to explain…”

Eula growled as she got up, and came charging forward.

“…But it’s gonna have to wait. Let’s go!” She exclaimed, charging to meet Eula and sending sparks flying as she met Eula’s lance.

"Right!”

With that Zack charged in and began to attack along side Lighting. He’d knew he’d have to explain what was going on here to her once they got this Fragment to go back to her. But for now Zack attacked with everything he had. Eula screamed as Lightning used her speed to overwhelm the insane lancer, aided by Zack’s own furious strikes. It didn’t take long before Eula was brought down. Lightning used her weight to keep the Fragment pinned.

“So, what’s next?” She asked. 

“We need her to return to the woman who’s mind we’re in. This is only one Fragment of her mind. There are 3 others. One of which is in control of her body. Once all fragments are returned, she’ll be able to regain herself again.”

He explained hoping he remembered everything correctly. And hoping Lighting would help him. Lightning raised an eyebrow.

“…The fragments of this woman’s mind have developed their own personalities? Are you fucking kidding me?” Lightning questioned sarcastically, however, Eula’s angry squirming underneath her answered her own question. Lightning rolled her eyes. 

“Why don’t we go take back this fragment and then head back out?” 

“I wish I was, Lightning. But I was told this by the being herself.”

 After Lighting spoke, Zack nodded. 

“Yeah, especially since we don't know how long she’ll be like this. Follow me.” 

“Alright. Let’s go.” 

Lightning followed, keeping the vicious Eula in tow. The mystery woman, still bound, smiled at Zack.

“I’ll be damned. You actually managed to defeat one of my fragments. Bring her here, and I will do the rest.” She said. Eula the Wrathful screamed in protest, but she was absorbed into the mystery woman… which also caused the bindings around her right arm to fall, and she sighed in relief.

“Three more await you, and you have not faced the strongest one yet. Go.” She insisted. Zack nodded. He promised he would do this. He just hoped they didn’t have to fight the strongest one next. But, he had no way of telling where the fragments are. 

“Sorry that you got dragged into this, Lightning...” He admitted. 

Lightning shook her head.

“Better me than Serah-I’m better at fighting, and it sounds like that’s exactly what we need.” She then turned and faced the woman. “Care to tell us anything about your other selves? More specifically, how we can find them?”

The bound woman scoffed.

“Your friend can tell you what I have already told him. And all I know is that they are within the labyrinth. You should not linger.”

Lightning scoffed.

“Fine. But you’ve got a helluva lot of explaining to do.”

“You needn’t tell me that.”

Lightning turned, and headed back towards the labyrinth.

“Alright, so tell me what’s what.” Lightning insisted. 

“So we have 3 more fragments to find. There is Nael van Darnus, her 'duty-bound' side, to quote her. We may be able to convince it to come back without any issue, or so she said. Then there is Eula the Blue; the incarnation of all of her sorrow and despair. With that one, we just have to carry her back, as she cannot fight. The last one… is the strongest one. It is called Nael deus Darnus. He is the one in control of her body. He was created when Bahamut forced himself into her mind. Ripping it apart. We’ll have to fight him”  He explained to Lighting. Zack just hoped they didn't find Nael deus Darnus next.

“So, in short, we have a soldier side, what I can only assume is a crying kid, and a magic-enhanced psycho... wait, did you say ‘Bahamut’? I get the feeling the Bahamut she’s talking about isn’t Fang’s Eidolon...”

Maniacal laughter could soon be heard, and a terrifying dragon-woman appeared before them. She had purplish-blackish leathery “skin”, gold “armor” in certain areas, and terrifying glowing red eyes, as well as that jewel in the center. She flared her wings, and put her arm out, calling upon a gun-halberd. 

“Lord Bahamut! Thy enemies shall know thine unquenchable might and fury!” She vowed. She then looked at them.

“Come, ye dull, unthinking beasts, and bare your fangs! They shall avail you naught in the Calamity to come!” She taunted. Lightning let out an exasperated sigh.

“Of _course_ we find the _strongest_ one next... Zack, pull everyone else in. We need more people. Plus, those who aren’t good fighters can go looking for the other two fragments. The quicker we can get this done, the better.” Lightning told him. 


	6. Chapter 6: Fragmented Mind (Part 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The struggle continues to recover the fragments of the mysterious woman's mind.

‘Sorry everyone but we need help. I’m pulling you all in here.’

There was a flash for a moment and everyone was inside the mind with Lighting and Zack. Snow was the first to speak.

“So. What’s going on?”

Zack looked at everyone. “I assume you all see the woman behind us. If we are to have her come to her senses we need to beat this thing. But that’s not all. There are 2 other fragments that need to be found. Those who are not good at fighting need to start looking for them. They shouldn’t attack you.”

With that Zack turned back to the dragon looking woman

“Oh god... It’s worse than I thought...” Rydgea muttered. 

“Ooookkkaayyy... diving inside a crazy dragon lady’s mind is not something I’d ever thought I’d do... Oh well. Serah, Hope, you wanna go find the other fragments?” Amethyst asked. Serah nodded.

“Leave it to us!”

Serah took Hope, and the duo went off while everyone else stayed behind, armed and ready to face the mad creature before them... and she went in. Lightning blocked her attack, and she looked to Snow.

“You big oaf, you can make yourself invulnerable! You take the heat!” She insisted. 

“On it!”

With a small flash from his body he was invulnerable. As soon as he was. He was in, dealing as many hits as he could. Zack went in as well. Jumping back when needed to avoid being hit.

While the fight was going on he kept a link open with Serah and Hope. Just in case they ran into trouble

The fight began, and Nael brutally beat down on Snow, laughing all the while. Eventually, when she took enough damage from the whole group, she surrounded herself in a barrier, and called down golems. Rydgea scowled.

“God, and this is only a shred of Bahamut’s power.... I will keep a golem on me! Snow, you keep one on you, and Fang, you keep one on you! If they get too close, they will merge, and then we’re as good as doomed!” He ordered. Fang nodded.

“On it!” 

Fang angered a golem enough to keep it on her, while Rydgea did the same. Meanwhile, the rest of the group continued to keep on attacking the golems until they shattered, forcing Nael to drop her barrier and continue fighting. She was soon starting to pant…

Snow kept the golem away from the others until they managed to shatter it, once they did he joined back up with the rest of them in the fight

Zack kept attacking with all he had. They needed to be able to bring this fragment back. It was the only way for her to regain control of her body. As the fight went on Zack noticed that she was starting to get a bit tired. 

She snarled.

“How can you stand against me?! I am Lord Bahamut’s most faithful servant! I am blessed with his almighty power-”

A kick to the face from Amethyst was enough to shut Nael up, and then, Lightning jumped on the fragment, the pair being enough to keep her bound.

“I swear, if I heard one more thing about this ‘Lord Bahamut’ of hers, I was gonna gut her like a fish.” Lightning said. Rydgea let out an exasperated sigh.

“It’s gonna take all of us to drag this fragment there... everyone ready?”

“I’m ready.” Zack said as he put his sword away and began walking towards the fragment. 

“So am I.” Snow replied being glad that super strength was part of his powers. 

_Who or what did they mean by Lord Bahamut?_ Z ack thought to himself as they brought the fragment back. 

Everyone held the protesting, furious fragment in a solid grip, dragging her back to the main center. The fragment was forcefully assimilated, and finally, her other arm was freed. She once again chuckled.

“Once again, you young heroes surprise me... What will you do next, I wonder?” She mused. 

“Hey, lady. Care to tell us more about this ‘Lord Bahamut’ the fragment wouldn’t shut up about? And while you’re at it, care to tell us more about you as a whole?” Amethyst demanded. The bound woman let out an exasperated sigh.

“I suppose all is fair... and a slight respite is in order after your confrontation with my deus self.”

The group stood there, and the woman looked down.

“My birth name was Eula Darnus. I hail from Garlemald, a land with a massive Empire.” 

“An Empire that, thankfully, is civil enough to not persecute metahumans... outside of your rogue Legion.” Rydgea said.

“Oh, they do not do it out of kindness.” Eula pointed out, laughing a bit and looking back up. The group stared.


	7. Chapter 7: A Shattered Heart (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eula begins to explain herself-why her mind is so broken, and her tragic past. She unveils more of the mysterious Bahamut, and Rydgea also helps in explaining everything. However, she is quick to insist that the group resumes their efforts...

“They do it because the crown prince has a lust for battle, and he is fascinated by metahumans. He seeks to use them to empower us Garleans, for the odds of a metahuman manifesting naturally amongst us is the lowest out of all the races in the whole world. In all honesty, the prince only seeks to find an equal... and if he were to find one... who knows, mayhaps he could actually _learn_ to love.” She explained.

“But natural manifestation isn’t impossible. You are one yourself, are you not?” Rydgea questioned.

“...Yes, which is why I referred to myself as a perfect hypocrite.”

“You led a whole army to come after us, but you were one yourself. Sounds like a perfect case of hypocrisy if I’ve ever heard one.” Amethyst concluded.

“Yes.... though, to be fair, ‘tis far more complicated than you originally thought. Initially, I did not care about your kind at all. But then, my older brother, the one who originally bore the name ‘Nael van Darnus’, was killed on an ill-conceived mission. I could not bear the thought of him being gone... So, in my frailness, I found someone to blame-you and all other metahumans-and swore to murder you all to take revenge. I took on his name, and killed anyone who would have exposed me. I then led my Legion, the VIIth, on a campaign of genocide. Were it not for the Eorzean Alliance, I would have succeeded...” She trailed, showing a bit of weakness when she mentioned her brother. The silence and tension quickly became palpable. 

“...It makes sense. The Eorzean Alliance-Ishgard, Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul’Dah are mostly home to Elezen, Hyur, Lalafell, Roegadyn, and Miqo’te. Some Au Ra also live there... and all of those races are born with some aptitude for magic. Metahumans can manifest in those races, and they garner a lot of respect. Not to mention the dragons who have spread themselves throughout the realm...” Rydgea mused.

“Ah, yes, though the dragons did not intervene in the battle I led... unless one counts the Dreadwyrm, which is but a shade summoned in His namesake’s image.” Eula added. Rydgea turned to face the students.

“What she is referring to is a type of being that most refer to as a primal, or eikon. They are incredibly-powerful beings that take the form of whatever the summoner, or summoners, desire. Their mere existence puts a tremendous strain on our world, and the universe as a whole-they consume inordinate amounts of mana and aether, or life energies, just to be sustained and exist. Their strength depends on how many crystals, solidified and highly-concentrated fragments of aether or mana, are used in the process, and how much faith is placed in them. Thankfully, they can be slain... but they all share a latent ability to utterly break the minds of those who do not have the right protection and enslave them...”

“Which is exactly what Bahamut did to me. To clarify, Bahamut is a vengeful shade summoned by his angry children thousands of years ago to make the ancients pay for the sins they committed against dragonkind. He was sealed and imprisoned in an artificial moon, which I brought down in the name of ‘cleansing’... oh, the irony is all too real... though He was severely weakened by yet another primal created just to defeat Him, and since I can no longer sense His presence, I can only assume that He was properly defeated recently. The damage He did to my body is entirely irreversible. Even if I were to regain control, my body would still be that hideous form you saw out there...”

She let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Your work is not done. Go.” She insisted.


End file.
